www.dailywire.com
‘West Wing’ Actor Remains At Large After Child Sex Abuse Accusations
The search is on for actor Timothy Busfield, 68, who has been accused of child sex abuse by minors who say the alleged misconduct occurred when they were working with him.
The prolific star is on the run as the Albuquerque Police Department teamed up with US Marshals to bring him into custody, per a statement APD issued on Monday.
Busfield was served with an arrest warrant on Friday. The alleged crimes included two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse.
The actor worked with twin boys, born in 2014, on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” which aired on Fox from 2022 to 2025. Busfield directed some episodes and was named as an executive producer, per Deadline. One of the boys identified in court documents as “SL” told APD Officer Marvin Brown that Busfield touched his “penis and buttocks, masking it as play” more than once. The alleged abuse is said to have started with the boys when they were 7 years old.
An investigation began in November 2024 when a University of New Mexico Hospital doctor reported his suspicions of sexual abuse and grooming to authorities, as reported by The New York Post.
The actor allegedly had the boys refer to him as “Uncle Tim” and tickled them on their stomachs and legs. Busfield responded to these allegations in November and confirmed it was “highly likely” he engaged in “physical contact” with them.
“I don’t remember those boys,” Busfield said, per the affidavit. “No, I don’t. I don’t actually, I don’t remember it, if it happened. I don’t remember overtly tickling the boys ever, but it wouldn’t be uncommon for me.” The actor also indicated that the twins’ mother was making the claims as a form of revenge for the child stars not being part of the last season of “The Cleaning Lady,” which has since been canceled.
Investigators initially didn’t press charges, but the case was reopened in September 2025 when one of the boys reported the alleged abuse to his doctor.
The actor was accused but never charged in two previous sexual assault allegations in 1994 and 2012, Deadline noted.
“First allegation occurred in 1994. A seventeen-year-old extra on Little Big League sued in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming Busfield assaulted her, served her alcohol, groped her, atempted [sic] sex in a trailer,” Officer Marvin Kirk Brown wrote in the arrest warrant obtained by People. No charges were filed, and both parties settled.
The second allegation is from March 2012. “A twenty-eight-year-old woman accused Busfield of battery in an LA movie theater—alleging he slipped hands under clothes, touched genitals for four minutes,” the arrest warrant said, noting that there was no lawsuit filed due to “slim evidence.” Busfield described the encounter as “consensual.”
Busfield has a long and successful Hollywood career, with credits in major projects such as “Field of Dreams,” “Revenge of the Nerds,” and “The West Wing.” He won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1991 for his role on the ABC series “Thirtysomething.”
The actor is married to “Little House on the Prairie” actress Melissa Gilbert. They have no children. Busfield has three children from two previous marriages.